Walsall Wood were at home last Tuesday to Romulus.

A pleasant summer’s evening match at Oak Park on Tuesday (29th July 2014) saw visiting Romulus beaten in a hard fought match by the Boys from the Wood, a game free of the unfortunate intemperance that coloured their match on the previous Saturday.

In a departure from the usual course, Bill Shaw couldn’t make it and David Evans submitted the following match report, written in his own inimitable style:

David Evans, deputising for Bill Shaw this evening

Walsall Wood 1 v 0 Romulus

The calm gentle sunshine of a summer’s evening, the fresh green grass of the immaculately prepared football pitch and the delights of the gentlemen home supporters’ augmented choir beckoned, and a large crowd of home and away supporters made their way to Oak Park to watch the spectacular and sometimes guttural athleticism of two sides who were evenly matchedin this open-air contest.

Romulus, who hail from somewhere near Sutton Park I believe, were kitted out in shining white shirts and licorice black shorts , and brought their ball skills and accurate passing to Oak Park. And so did Walsall Wood, resplendent in their bright red shirts and shorts.

The first half saw most of the game being played in one half of the pitch with Walsall Wood defending resolutely and with commendable vigour. The Wood defence was up to the standard we see in every match, and this left its mark on a few startled Romulus players.

The score at half time was 0-0 with Walsall Wood gaining increasing confidence as the half-time break arrived.

Within a few minutes of the second half starting a brilliant goal, a long-range descending ball volleyed in to the opponent’s net, leaving a confused and shocked goal-keeper, and a quite a few of his colleagues, too, seemingly rooted to the ground. It was a superb goal, of Germanic quality.   This well-worked shot was the result of Walsall Wood’s through and first touch passing and was thoroughly well-deserved.

The break-neck pace of the ensuing play in this half brought a few hard collisions and some frustration but overall a well-played, fair and yet meaningful match delighted all the spectators, especially the regular choir of home supporters.

These friendly pre-season home matches have been a delight to watch and the self-evident hard work and prepaparation put in by the home team, with the resultant team confidence and skill have surprised most visiting teams, and perhaps dented some egos, too.

I look forward to the official start of the football season on Saturdaywhen Quorn visit Oak Park. With eager anticipation and vocal chords at the ready, I can’t wait for the off. Tally-ho!

David

Thanks to David there – For The Good Of The Wood!

Walsall Wood Football Club are a top local side with a big-hearted faithful who know how to have a great time supporting their lads, and welcome all comers to come enjoy great local soccer. The boys from The Wood have been at the heart of the local community for a century or more, so please do go check out a match or two if you’re curious.